Ask them if their employer paid for their retirement (pension). Ask if they were repeatedly laid off because the work can be done [poorly] cheaper in another country. Ask if they were union.

Many companies used to be loyal to their employees and vice versa. That is all but gone now and the companies cry that nobody is loyal.

I thought it was, “feed a fever, starve a flu”, because you probably shouldn’t eat much when you can’t keep anything down.

Yes, often. Between being in the car a lot since RTO mandates and being alone in the house a lot and needing to have some noise to help me focus on the task at hand, the radio is on a lot.

I have the advantage of a great, local, non-profit radio station with real, local DJs that just talk normal. They play an abundance of local and emerging artists alongside classic artists. Since it’s non-profit, there are no commercials other than a “sponsored by” message from time to time.

I read a blog that said that this is the reason that some off the 1% are in favor of Universal Basic Income (UBI). If 99% of the workimg class are laid off and given government UBI checks (just enough to stay alive) that they can spend for the things they need,then that is as close to companiws being given government checks just because. After that, it becomes who can build the biggest company to take all of the money.

Ibfind it ironic that to put an animal out of it’s misery is called being “humane” though to do it to another person is called “homicide”.

I can find anything so long as I’m the one who pit it away. That bill that’s due tomorrow? Right on my desk in this pile, 4 pages down! The bag of cornmeal that we use once a year? Behind the zip lock bags! Unfortunately, we repainted a room and in the process reorganized the piles and now I can’t find anything.

Similarly, I’ve read people encouraging voting as a way to say that the post benefits the conversation. Down vote trolls, posts without adequate backing of ideas or actual dangerous comments and upvote posts that contribute, even if you disagree, then disagree as a reply.

For example, in a post, “a hotdog is a sandwich”, upvote a comment that says, “meat & bread = sandwich” then reply, “you are an idiot” (then expect a downvote because your comment doesn’t contribute.

There’s a lot to unpack here,but i feel like the suicide and medication are the most urgent.

I’m not familiar with the medical laws in every country, but in several countries, when you go for an annual physical, you get alone time with the doctor,even if you are a minor. That may be a good time to discuss the whole situation and get some advice from a medical professional. This could be as young as 13 in some countries.

Reminds me of the oatmeal comic

https://theoatmeal.com/pl/state_web_winter_2012/twinkies

every time a species gets upgraded on the endangered species list, we take away one horrible staple from the American diet.

I think the general point is that the financial hurt that I can put on a company is peanuts compared to someone with deep pockets (ie: shareholders & businesses). Even if I were to get all my friends, family and direct coworkers to alter a shopping behaviour, it’s unlikely to result in any change.

On the other hand, if I were to take that same group and be able to pressure my political representatives to do something about it (as we frequently see in California), then something may change. Similarly, me quitting my job out of disgust with a non-recycling policy won’t get any attention, but if I can get my union to take it up, then the company will listen.

TL;DR: a person can’t make change, a group of people can.

I used it this year to write my performance self-review. It successfully turned my usual rambling but valid accomplishments into management friendly synergistic paradigms, saving me the anguish of doing it myself.

From Wallet Voting by Cory Doctrow:

Wallet-votes always go to the people with the thickest wallets, and statistically, that is not you.

It doesn’t mean to keep shopping at Amazon if you hate their business practices, it just means that you & your friends won’t have any impact on Amazon’s business policies.

Granted, you’d be a hypocrite, so definitely don’t shop where you hate, but don’t expect a giant corp to change.

I can relate, but I call it the Sunday depression. Most of what’s difficult about the transition between doing the things I want (or not) and doing the things I’m told to do. Also, picking up all the problems that I left behind when I left work on Friday.

How do I cope? Mostly just suck it up. Sometimes, I’ll email myself reminders or thoughts so that I don’t carry them around all weekend. Sometimes, I pre-make a bunch of food so that I can roll out of bed and walk out the door. Sometimes, I do have things to look forward to, like lunch with a coworker or something.

You captured the equipment at a great angle but the clouds make this picture so much more dramatic.

I record the purchase & miles driven. The data helps me to track and anticipate when the car will hit certain miles so that I can predict events like new tires, brakes, oil changes and save up for them. For one car, I noticed that premium fuel improves the mileage significantly, making the purchase worthwhile if it’s <7¢ more per gallon.

Also, at Costco, some members have a digital membership card (ie: on their phone).

Is this why I’m blinded at night by oncoming vehicles? I just assumed that everyone just started driving with the hi-beams on all of a sudden.

There are lots of good suggestions here, but I found that putting my access point up high helped immensely. I did it when painting a room and noticed better coverage in places that were not so good before.

As a kid, me and a friend bought the game “Leisure Suit Larry” or one of the sequels. It included an age check because of adult content. After asking our age, which we dutifully entered as 19, it would ask questions that only an adult would know, like “who was the US president in 1962?” We would research these questions in my friend’s encyclopedia to play the game.

Now, I have all this trivia knowledge in my head due to my childhood quest to see highly pixelated cartoon boobies in 640x480 resolution.

I had a bike when I was a kid and as long as I was home for dinner, nobody cared. I biked a lot. Like 2 or 3 cities over, maybe 25 miles each way. Parents thought it was good exercise. I now realize that it was freedom. I went to tge computer store and played games on the computers I could not afford. Also, in hindsight, biking was the physical thing that I needed so that I didn’t punch someone, or worse. I had lots of rage and took it out on the road. I averaged 18MPH, which is pushing pretty hard.

Part 2: until social media, I never realized how messed up the Chinese culture is. I’m sorry to hear that you are going through all this.

Excellent write up!